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In 2000, we asked two of our novices, one in Bolivia and one in the US, identical questions regarding their choice to become women religious, in particular, Victory Noll Sisters. We thought you would enjoy their responses and are reprinting them here.
Sister Leora Linnenkugel entered the novitiate August 15, 1997, and Sister Guadalupe Flores Ocaņa entered on February 11, 1998 (both have since become vowed members) —
photo: Sister Leora Linnenkugel
1) When did you hear God’s call and how did you decide to respond and choose the missionary life?
Sister Leora: I believe I was called very early in life. I thought about this since I was in high school. However, I do not believe God intended me to enter at that time. I felt I should get a college degree before entering; to do this I would have to work my way through college. Also, I felt called to help my parents during their retirement years. All three of us had a great time during those years; we became very close friends. So I do not bemoan the loss of years before I entered. Actually, I feel God wanted me to wait because I found the right community after both my parents had passed away and I had finally finished college. Until that time no religious congregation seemed to fill my needs.
Missionary life meets my needs because I am a people person. I see God so clearly in others that I needed to be free to experience this more fully. Being a missionary I am able to find God all over the country with so many different people. As a Victory Noll Sister I am blessed with the opportunity to be with the poor. Already I have found such depth of joy in their lives that I know they are there to help me find God’s joy in mine. I will learn so much in the exciting years ahead!
photo: Sister Guadalupe Flores-Ocaņa
Sister Lupe: I felt the call of God more strongly during a high school graduation trip to Cochabamba when I was a senior. I saw in Cochabamba many religious women wearing the habit. At first, I felt more attracted by the habit. I did not know that there were religious women who did not wear the habit. When I found out about these two possibilities and learned about the work of the sisters, I discovered what I was truly looking for. That is, to be a missionary and to be ready to serve wherever God calls me.
2) Why did you choose the congregation of Our Lady of Victory Missionary Sisters?
Sister Leora: I had never heard of this congregation before Sister Regina Marie Morrissey, who was DRE at my parish, asked me to join the R.C.I.A. program as a sponsor. In getting to know Sister Regina Marie I became aware of a religious congregation which was doing just what I wanted but never knew existed. Missionary life was appealing but I often saw the need here in my own country and wondered why it was not being filled. Then I read The Story of Victory Noll by Elizabeth Ann Clifford, O.L.V.M. and discovered religious women had been doing just that for years. Also, one of the ideas of our founder, Father Sigstein, really impressed me. For years I had been working with computers and saw the advantages computers could have for missionary Catechists. Father Sigstein, although not knowing about personal computers, challenged us to continue “meeting modern needs with modern means.” I knew I had found what I had been searching for all these years. Our Congregation will always strive to be in the forefront of using modern means to help the poor. Yes, OLVM was for me!
Sister Lupe: Because Sister Carolyn invited and welcomed me to participate in a vocation discernment experience.
3) Since entering the congregation, how has your life changed? What has given you the most joy and satisfaction? What has been the most challenging?
Sister Leora: I have become more peaceful. During the many years before God sent me to this Congregation I had been searching and searching but couldn’t find what I needed. I was happy and yet I was not fulfilled. I cannot express the joy and satisfaction in knowing that I am finally home. I look forward to many years of new things to learn and new things to share. These are experiences I would never have had outside of religious life. The most challenging aspect is to stay open to all the blessings God will send to me through the wisdom of those with whom I will share life, most especially those whom I am called to serve.
Sister Lupe: Since entering, my life has changed positively with the development of some values that I had not appreciated fully before, such as, forgiveness and understanding.
The biggest satisfaction has been to discover that truly I have a vocation. Little by little I have grown in understanding myself better.
The biggest challenge has been that of living with other persons of a different culture and age.
4) What advice would you give to another young woman who is considering religious life?
Sister Leora: I was happily employed. My position was challenging and fulfilling. However, as I became more involved with volunteering in my parish I realized what I had been searching for was to be able to work more closely with people. Jesus said “do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” John 6:27 If you are a person who is happy with life but still seem to be searching for something, listen to these words and find fulfillment, “food that endures,” by considering religious life. I now understand what St. Teresa of Avila meant when she said “Those who seek God shall never go wanting. God alone fills us.”
Sister Lupe: The advice that I would dare to give other young women who feel a call to religious life is this:
- Be brave and sure about what you want because only the person who seeks, struggles, searches, and knows how to risk can be happy.
- Always keep in mind that no one can force you to be what you do not want to be and nobody can keep you from becoming what you dream of becoming.
- Lastly, the only one who can respond to God’s call is you.
5) How did your family and friends respond to your decision?
Sister Leora: My family, as well as my friends, responded with sadness that I would not always be around but also with joy that I had found what was right for me. It is amazing how they all are catching the Victory Noll spirit; a lot of them are even getting e-mail so we can stay connected.
Sister Lupe: The first reaction of my friends and family was to tell me that I was disappointed because I did not have a boyfriend. But as time has passed, and they see how happy I am with my decision, they are accepting it.
Click on the links below to learn more about the Victory Noll Sisters and their Partners in Mission (Covenant and Prayer Associates).
Vowed Membership - Call to Religious Life
Victory Noll Partners in Mission
Reflection of Religious Vows
A Vocation Story
A Novice’s Journey
25th Jubilee Reflection
First Profession Celebrated
Vows Renewed
Jubilees Celebrated
Nurturing Vocations
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